Drying of garlic slices: Kinetics and nonlinearity measures for selecting the best equilibrium moisture content equation

The objective of this work was to analyze the drying process of garlic slices based on an experimental study involving its equilibrium moisture content and drying kinetics. The equilibrium data were obtained by the static method using saturated salt solutions. The main equilibrium equations for biological materials were discriminated using some measures of nonlinearity. The drying kinetics was studied in a forced convection dryer, and the influence of three types of slices was analyzed. The results showed that the modified Halsey equation was the most suitable to represent the equilibrium data for garlic slices. The Page equation adequately represented the drying kinetics data. The highest drying rates of sliced garlic were obtained with crosswise cut.

► The drying process of garlic slices is analyzed based on its equilibrium moisture and drying kinetics.
► Equilibrium equations for biological materials were discriminated using measures of nonlinearity.
► The influence of three types of slices (crosswise, halfwise and lengthwise) on drying kinetics was analyzed.
► The modified Halsey equation was the best one to represent the sorption equilibrium data of garlic slices.
► The highest drying rates of sliced garlic were obtained with cut in crosswise slices.